The Combination Game was a style of association football based around teamwork and cooperation. It would gradually favour the passing of the ball between players over individual dribbling skills which had been a notable feature of early Association games. It developed from "scientific" football and is considered to be the predecessor of the modern passing game of football. It originated in Britain and its origins are associated with early clubs: Sheffield FC (founded 1857), The Royal Engineers AFC (founded 1863), Queen's Park FC (founded 1867) and Cambridge University AFC (founded 1856). Each of these claimants is supported by retrospective accounts from men who were notable in the early history of football. They are considered below in the order of earliest contemporary evidence of "scientific" football playing styles.
Background The effect of rule changes on playing style
The change to the original offside rule enabled the gradual transition from a dribbling to a passing game, this opened the way to forward passing. A similar rule had originally been part of the earlier Cambridge rules.
On 7 November 1863, the Football Association adopted an offside rule from J. C. Thring's law from the Simplest Game
This text was reflected in the first draft of laws drawn up by FA secretary Ebenezer Morley.
Later in the year this was replaced by a modified version of the equivalent law from the Cambridge Rules
The law adopted by the FA was "strict"—i.e., it penalised any player in front of the ball. There was one exception for the "kick from behind the goal line" (the 1863 laws' equivalent of a goal kick). This exception was necessary because every player on the attacking side would have otherwise been "out of play" from such a kick.
In 1866/67 the offside rule was loosened – at the behest of representatives of Charterhouse and Westminster SchoolMarples, Morris (1954) A History of Football, Secker and Warburg, London]CW Alcock, "Association Football", in the English Illustrated Magazine, 1891, p. 283 –
Charles W. Alcock The earliest reference to the term "combination game" is made by Charles W. Alcock in 1874 when he states that "Nothing succeeds better than what I may call a 'combination game'.""Football: our winter game", Charles Alcock, London, 1874 Alcock is referring to an early system of cooperation known as 'backing up' which he defines as a... "process of following closely on a fellow player, to assist him if required, and to take the ball if he be attacked or prevented from continuing his onward course.""Football: our winter game", Charles Alcock, London, 1874, p. 83 Although a keen dribbler, Alcock is notable as being the first footballer ever to be ruled offside on 31 March 1866, confirming that players were probing ways of exploiting the new offside rule right from the start. As early as 1870 Alcock stated that he preferred playing football in a "scientific" way.Charles W Alcock, The Scotsman newspaper, 28 November 1870, page 7 An example of this was reported in a contemporary account of the November 1870 football match between England and Scotland "Mr Alcock made a splendid run ... and being cleverly supported by Mr Walker, a goal was obtained ... by the latter"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 26 November 1870 A further contemporary reference shows that Alcock himself was playing "in concert" with his teammates during the 1871 international match between England and Scotland:
These examples of cooperation fit in with the system of backing up, which was prevalent in the London Association game during the 1860s and early 1870s. As systematic forms of passing became more prevalent in association football, Alcock's views on combination would understandably change. Writing in 1883 he gives the following definition of combination: As the game continued to evolve Alcock would state in 1891: "An Association eleven of to-day is altogether a different machine to what it was even as recently as ten years ago."Association Football", chapter by CW Alcock, The English Illustrated Magazine 1891, page 287
Scientific Football (1839 onwards) The earliest uses of the term "scientific" in the context of sport are in the description of the obligatory team game cricket (1833).The Gentleman's Magazine, July 1833, page 42 The first use of the term "scientific" to describe football comes from Dragley Beck, Ulverston, Lancashire, likely at what is known today as Lightburn Park, in 1839. This states:
"Scientific" was first used to describe a modern football code in 1862 with reference to Rugby football:Blackwood's Magazine, Published by W. Blackwood, 1862, page 563 and in 1868 the "great science" of rugby football consisted of "off your side, drop kicks punts, places and the other intricacies."Tom Brown's school days, by an old boy [T. Hughes]. By Tom Brown, Thomas Hughes, Old Boy Edition: 55, 1868 It is uncertain what these other intricacies were exactly, however it is clear that this playing style was more systematic than in the past. References to scientific football come in accounts in the mid-1860s, particularly Sheffield FC (see later). Later contemporary accounts include internationals, for example the November 1870 association football match between England and Scotland which "was of unusual excellence for the many scientific points it involved."Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 26 November 1870, issue 446 Alcock advocated scientific football as early as 1870 (see below).
Sheffield FC: Backing up and the "passing on" game (mid-1860s and early 1870s)
According to Alcock, Sheffield FA team provides the first evidence of combination, in particular the "passing on" of the Sheffield FA team and their Sheffield Rules. The offside system of the Sheffield rules allowed poaching or sneaking and the forward pass was permitted: Players known as "kick throughs" were positioned permanently near the opponents goal to receive these balls. For this reason the Sheffield style is known as the "passing on game".Adrian Harvey, Football The First Hundred Years, Routledge, 2005, page 213 As early as January 1865 Sheffield F.C. was associated with scoring a goal through "scientific movements" against NottinghamBell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday, 7 January 1865; Issue 2,229: "The Sheffield party, however, eventually took a lead, and through some scientific movements of Mr J Wild, scored a goal amid great cheering" A contemporary match report of November 1865 notes "We cannot help recording the really scientific play with which the Sheffield men backed each other up"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), 26 November 1865, issue 2275 Combination associated with Sheffield players is also suggested in 1868: "a remarkably neat and quick piece of play on the part of K Smith, Denton and J Knowles resulted in a goal for Sheffield, the final kick being given by J. Knowles"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 8 February 1868 issue 2390
Contemporary proof of passing occurs from at least January 1872. In January 1872 the following account is given against Derby: "W. Orton, by a specimen of careful play, running the ball up in close proximity to the goal, from which it was returned to J. Marsh, who by a fine straight shot kicked it through"The Derby Mercury (Derby, England), Wednesday, 17 January 1872; Issue 8218. This play taking place "in close proximity to the goal" suggests a short pass and the "return" of the ball to Marsh suggests that this was the second of two passes. This account also goes onto describe other early tactics: "This goal was supplemented by one of T. Butler's most successful expositions of the art of corkscrew play and deceptive tactics which had the effect of exciting the risibility of the spectators" A similar account also comes from January 1872: "the only goal scored in the match was obtained by Sheffield, owing to a good run up the field by Steel, who passed if judiciously to Matthews, and the latter, by a good straight kick, landed it through the goal out of reach of the custodian".Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 27 January 1872, Issue 2691 This match (against Notts) also provided contemporary evidence of "good dribbling and kicking" particularly by W. E. Clegg. The condition of the ground, however, "militated against a really scientific exhibition". Their play in March 1872 was described as "speed, pluck and science of no mean order"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday, 9 March 1872; Issue 2,697.
The Royal Engineers A.F.C.: The first combination team (late 1860s to mid-1870s) Sir Frederick Wall (who was the secretary of the Football Association from 1895 to 1934) states in his biography that the combination game was first used by the Royal Engineers A.F.C. in the early 1870s, in particular prior to their 1873 tour of Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield .Cox, Richard (2002) The Encyclopaedia of British Football, Routledge, United Kingdom Wall states that the "Sappers moved in unison" and showed the "advantages of combination over the old style of individualism". He goes on to state that they were the first "to show the value of combination in Sheffield and Nottingham. Wall attended and regularly refers to the 1872 international match in his account (see below) and speaks very highly of many Scottish teams and players but he does not attribute the combination game to either of these. The Engineers were also capable of dribbling the ball, for example one 1868 match reports states "Lieut. Morris got off and dribbling the ball quite round his opponents, brought it in front of the goal and a kick from Lieut Dorward scored the first goal for the Royal Engineers".Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 12 December 1868, issue 2434
Royal Engineers in 1868 By early 1868 a contemporary match report states "For the R.E.s Lieuts Campbell, Johnson and Chambers attracted especial attention by their clever play"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 21 March 1868, Issue 2396
Royal Engineers in 1869 As early as 1869 the Royal Engineers football club is documented in a contemporary match report as having "worked well together" and "had learned the secret of football success - backing up".Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 18 December 1869 In this match failure of the opposite team was attributed to "a painful want of cooperation" against the Engineers.
Royal Engineers in 1870 Another contemporary match report clearly shows that by 1870, ball passing was a feature of the Engineers style: "Lieut. Creswell, who having brought it up the side then kicked it into the middle to another of his side, who kicked it through the posts the minute before time was called"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday 5 November 1870, issue 2
Royal Engineers in 1871